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Open-File Report 01-336

Geochemistry of Selected Mercury Mine-Tailings in the Parkfield Mercury District, California

By James J. Rytuba, Boris B. Kotlyar, Gregg Wilkerson, and Jerry Olson

Thumbnail of and link to report PDF (10 MB)Abstract

The Parkfield mercury district is located in the southern part of the California Coast Range mercury mineral belt and contains three silica-carbonate-type mercury deposits that have had significant mercury production. Mercury was first produced in the district in 1873, but the main period of production occurred from 1915-1922. Total production from the district is about 5,000 flasks of mercury (a flask equals 76 pounds of mercury) with most production coming from the Patriquin mine (1,875 flasks), and somewhat less from the King (1,600 flasks) and Dawson (1,470 flasks) mines. Several other small prospects and mines occur in the district but only minor production has come from them. In 1969, Phelan Sulphur Company carried out mineral exploration at the King mine and announced the discovery of 55,000 tons of mercury ore with an average grade of 5.2 pounds per ton.

The King mine is located on federal land administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Several other parcels of federal land are present adjacent to other mines and prospects in the Parkfield district. An environmental assessment of mine sites on and adjacent to federal land was carried out to determine the amount of mercury and other trace metals present in mine wastes and in sediments from streams impacted by past mining.

First posted September 25, 2001

For additional information, contact:
Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
345 Middlefield Road, MS 901
Menlo Park, CA 94025-3591
http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/gmeg/

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Suggested citation:

Rytuba, James J., Kotlyar, Boris B., Wilkerson, Gregg, Olson, Jerry, 2001, Geochemistry of Selected Mercury Mine-Tailings in the Parkfield Mercury District, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 01-336, 17 pp., https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2001/0336/.



Contents

Introduction

Sampling and analytical procedures

Geology

Geochemistry of Calcine, Altered Rocks, and Stream Sediments

Conclusion

References


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